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\n\t\tCharli XCX has written about the death of cool in a recent Substack post and it\u2019s got fans divided (Picture: Aurora Rose\/WWD via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tCharli XCX has written about the death of cool in a recent Substack post and it\u2019s got fans divided (Picture: Aurora Rose\/WWD via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Charli XCX<\/a>\u2019s recent Substack essay, titled The Death of Cool, has everyone divided. While some see it as a refreshingly honest glimpse into their favourite artist\u2019s mind, others are calling it \u2018vapid, naval-gazing and self-referential\u2019.<\/p>\n The 360 party girl, 33, defined a season in history like perhaps no artist has before her through the lime green Brat summer of 2024 \u2013 and now she\u2019s getting existential. <\/p>\n In her Subtack essay<\/a> \u2013 written to accompany an interview about her satirical Brat summer film The Moment \u2013 Von Dutch hitmaker Charli essentially asks the question: can something still be cool when it becomes commercialised?<\/p>\n She reflects on the mass exposure of Brat, and how its message was altered and eventually its \u2018cool\u2019 essence diluted as it exploded beyond her creative control. <\/p>\n Brat was so culturally significant, it even appeared in Kamala Harris<\/a>\u2019 US<\/a> presidential campaign against Donald Trump<\/a>. Her Apple dance took over TikTok, and an era of brands trying to ride the wave with lower case, bright green, anti-perfectionism messaging everywhere dawned. <\/p>\n \t\t \u2018I have always rejected the idea that art, film, persona or music becoming commercial means it cannot also be considered cool,\u2019 Charli wrote, explaining: \u2018Disliking something purely because of its widespread popularity or links to commercialism comes with a distinctly art school type energy that is super triggering to me.\u2019 <\/p>\n While she also added that if art doesn\u2019t come from a truthful place then it\u2019s dead on arrival, Charli said her admittedly \u2018inherently lame\u2019 penchant for coolness is rooted in her \u2018fear\u2019 of \u2018being boring\u2019. <\/p>\n \u2018I equate \u2018coolness\u2019 to being fascinating and interesting 24\/7. A 365 party girl was born,\u2019 she added. <\/p>\n The Guess hitmaker then explained where her need to create a niche, obsessive, bold movement with Brat came from, after she attended a gig which was technically good, but \u2018one big shrug with a huge air of indifference\u2019. <\/p>\n \u2018Everyone felt unaffected. Everything felt vague. It was not cool,\u2019 she said, having observed the audience, and concluded: \u2018The second you apply a \u201csomething for everyone\u201d approach to art in an attempt to deliberately appeal to more people that, in my opinion<\/a>, is the moment that coolness dies. That is the death of cool.\u2019 <\/p>\n \t\t Linking it back to Brat, despite her previous conviction something isn\u2019t automatically uncool if it\u2019s commercial, Charli admitted: \u2018The more time passed from the album release the more and more bastardized the representations of the album became.<\/p>\n \u2018These representations were replicated and reproduced and deemed as truthful. This is when I feel that things become broad, things become pass\u00e9, things become boring.\u2019 <\/p>\n Some fans were justifiably confused that Charli explained how mainstream can be cool, but went on to suggest that Brat\u2019s commercialisation made it boring, and by her own definition, uncool in the process. <\/p>\n Concluding, Charli then questions herself, all her points and whether she needs to sit with boredom, before ending the essay with: \u2018Maybe if you spin it in the right kind of way with the right kind of confidence and a baseline level of taste anything can be cool? Maybe cool can live forever?\u2019<\/p>\n Critics are calling Charli\u2019s substack \u2018vapid\u2019 <\/p>\n The essay sparked lots of debate online, with some heavily criticising her words. <\/p>\n \u2018I found the essay to be far too self-referential, vapid and almost conceited, in a way when talking about the death of being cool because there\u2019s no nuance,\u2019 began bosnianfivehead in a TikTok<\/a> video which has been liked over 34,000 times. <\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s completely through the lens of herself, her friends and the society she groups herself with, which some might say is okay because she\u2019s talking about herself, which I get, but you can\u2019t be talking about the concept at large when you\u2019re only using something so small to reference to.\u2019 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tThe origins of ‘cool’\t\t\t<\/p>\n The contemporary meaning of someone who is \u2018cool\u2019 emerged during World War II Black jazz culture to define an individual who inspires social change through their art. <\/p>\n In the 1940s only fans and musicians in the genre of Black jazz used the term \u2018cool\u2019 in this modern context, and it represented a resistance to being provoked by oppressive social forces.<\/p>\n \t\t Charli\u2019s assumption, which she\u2019s based the essay off, that Brat was objectively cool, grated on some people and for others simply didn\u2019t ring true, leading to one big eye-roll response to the Substack post. <\/p>\n \u2018I appreciate her attempt at honesty and vulnerability but her writing is vapid and she says a lot without saying anything\u2026\u2019 said Shot_Department1080, adding that \u2018she needs to try and stop worrying about being seen as anything other than cool because it will stifle her creativity\u2019. <\/p>\n Others said the \u2018navel gazing\u2019 over her own art, influence and meaning is \u2018deeply off putting\u2019. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMy hot take on Charli XCX’s The Death of Cool essay \t\t\t<\/p>\n If we take Charli\u2019s Substack essay as an attempt at impactful and serious cultural analysis, it was poor. It left more questions than it answered. <\/p>\n But if we meet it where it\u2019s at, as a glimpse into the mind and musings of a culturally on-beat popstar, it has value.<\/p>\n However, I struggle to empathise with Charli\u2019s insistence that her idea of coolness \u2013 bolshy party girl-core \u2013 is the antithesis of being boring. If I had to hang out with a 365 party girl who is obsessed with self image I would not be fascinated and riveted. I would be bored. What I\u2019m saying is, my idea of cool and hers do not align.<\/p>\n I am almost her age and can\u2019t imagine anything more exhausting than trying to be cool. But I value Charli\u2019s honesty and vulnerability in admitting this: that is afterall what I think Brat is all about \u2013 being an \u2018IT girl\u2019 but also admitting your insecurities in the process.<\/p>\n To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web So what Charli could be missing is nuance in her post. Art is subjective, as is coolness.<\/p>\n The meaning of \u2018cool\u2019 has changed so much over time since its origins in the post-war Black jazz scene, it\u2019s now almost entirely subjective.<\/p>\n When you release art into the world, it takes a life of its own. It has different meaning to different people. One person might absorb Brat as a cultural licence to smoke cigarettes<\/a> and be obnoxious. To another, it gave them confidence to strut down the street and tell their cheating partner to do one.<\/p>\n Art being distorted by big brands jumping on a bandwagon of mainstream success will never detract from someone\u2019s first-hand experience of the art itself. That\u2019s what matters: not the image of the art. The real fans matter, not the ones who haven\u2019t listened to Brat and just absorb marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n In short: Charli seems to be thinking too much about what people think of Brat. She\u2019s letting the image of her art overshadow its original value.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s okay: it\u2019s a human response. I\u2019d take her view over a Chat GPT perfectly-crafted cultural analysis any day\u2026 <\/p>\n Fans are defending Charli\u2019s post <\/p>\n Others called Charli\u2019s Substack post healthy introspection and an interesting glimpse into the mind of one of the biggest popstars of our time. <\/p>\n \u2018I personally like hearing artists like Charli, and Sabrina, who have been working artists for years with smaller dedicated fanbases and have now skyrocketed to main pop girl status, talking about their experiences. I think it\u2019s interesting. It doesn\u2019t have to be profound to be worth sharing. It\u2019s a unique experience!\u2019 said duochromepalmtree on Reddit<\/a>. <\/p>\n \t\t \u2018How long until people bully her out of being honest on Substack? lol I love that she\u2019s sharing her thoughts, it\u2019s a fun and uniquely honest glimpse into her world,\u2019 added Time_Value_3073.<\/p>\n Others defended Charli\u2019s post as a stream of consciousness diary entry, not an attempt at a serious New Yorker style cultural analysis, and so it shouldn\u2019t be critiqued like one. <\/p>\n So what can we take away from Charli\u2019s \u2018cool\u2019 essay?<\/p>\n Charli touches on interesting ideas: when something is commercialised as Brat was, can it retain its soul? Can art be commodified and pure? <\/p>\n While Charli isn\u2019t giving us any answers, she\u2019s asking clearly debatable questions, if the hundreds of comments are anything to go by.<\/p>\n Some noted that while Charli is seemingly obsessed with the idea of being cool \u2013 which many, including herself, have pointed out is inherently uncool \u2013 at least she\u2019s being honest. <\/p>\n We all, to some degree, care about our image and she\u2019s just an amplified version of this.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow![\"Glastonbury](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2222663949.jpg\")
\n\t\tCharli wondered whether Brat was still cool after being commercialised so much (Picture: Joseph Okpako\/WireImage)<\/p>\n![\"5th](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2241913098.jpg\")
\n\t\tShe triggered some interesting discussions \u2013 but seems to assume everyone thought Brat was cool in the first place (Picture: Amy Sussman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Sziget](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2228890043-e1765987890990.jpg\")
\n\t\tCharli\u2019s Brat summer is over \u2013 and now she\u2019s getting existential (Picture: Joseph Okpako\/WireImage)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tPerhaps it\u2019s time to stop thinking about ourselves so much (Picture: JC Olivera\/GA\/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Charli XCX reckons it\u2019s actually \u2019embarrassing\u2019 to be a famous pop star<\/a><\/p>\n